LOS ANGELES (CNN) – In a new campaign video, Cindy McCain ventures into territory her husband, John, takes pains to avoid on the trail: citing the wartime military service of two McCain sons as a reason she believes her husband should be the next commander-in-chief.

“Our sons are serving and will serve, and I just think we need a commander in chief that understands that,” Cindy McCain says in the video, which the McCain campaign provided to CNN. “I just couldn’t really see my sons serving for someone else who didn’t get it.”

The candidate himself seemed surprised when CNN raised the issue in Wednesday’s interview in Los Angeles.

“We don’t talk about our sons,” Senator McCain said. “We’re proud that they’re in the military, but we don’t talk about it any more than that. My wife, like any mother, is proud of her children and all our children. But the fact is I am the most experienced and the most prepared and my family has long generations of service to this country and I am proud of that.”

With regard to the other candidates running for president, he added, “I don’t say they are unqualified or unprepared. I’m saying I am the most prepared.”

When you compare McCain’s resume to those of his major competitors fro the Republican nomination, the differences are startling. Fred Thompson’s record in the Senate is notable only for its lack of accomplishment. Neither Romney nor Giuliani have held national office. Thompson, Giuliani and Romney did not serve in the armed forces. None of them have any substantiative experience in foreign policy.

I’m not suggesting that military service is a pre-requisite for the Presidency. But for candidates who took deferments to avoid service in Vietnam (like Thompson) to advocate sending others to fight in their stead smacks of hypocrisy.

John McCain is an American hero, and deserves far more respect than he’s getting from his own political party.

I was not aware of John McCains sons being in the military. that should make him even more inclined to disagree with and stop supporting a war based on lies, deception, false pretences and flawed intellegence against a country and people who did us no harm.

McCain has plenty going against him with his views on Iraq and immigration. However, his age bothers me, too. I think 71 is just too old to start a presidential career. (I guess it's OK to bring up age what with all the talk of Clinton being female and Obama being black.)